For the discerning science fiction fan, this is the best of the Eastern-bloc Cold War Sci-fi epics, a genuinely brilliant and warmly human ‘Voyage to the End of the Universe,’ restored in 4k resolution. It’s from before 2001: A Space Odyssey, and has an equally wondrous but totally different vision of the future.
Ikarie Xb 1
Blu-ray
Nfa (Czechoslovak National Film Archive)
1963 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date March, 2017
Starring: Radovan Lukavský, Zdenek Stepánek, Frantisek Smolík, Otto Lackovic, Irena Kacírková Dana Medrická
Cinematography: Jan Kalis, Sasa Rasilov
Production Designer: Jan Zázvorka
Special Effects: Jan Kalis
Film Editor: Josef Dobrichovský
Original Music: Zdenek Liska
Written by Jindrich Polák and Pavel Jurácek, adapted from the novel The Magellanic Cloud by Stanislaus Lem.
Produced by Filmové Studio Barrandov
Directed by Jindrich Polák
The trailer for the new restoration of Ikarie Xb 1 (no hyphen) pretty much tells the story. A shot...
Ikarie Xb 1
Blu-ray
Nfa (Czechoslovak National Film Archive)
1963 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date March, 2017
Starring: Radovan Lukavský, Zdenek Stepánek, Frantisek Smolík, Otto Lackovic, Irena Kacírková Dana Medrická
Cinematography: Jan Kalis, Sasa Rasilov
Production Designer: Jan Zázvorka
Special Effects: Jan Kalis
Film Editor: Josef Dobrichovský
Original Music: Zdenek Liska
Written by Jindrich Polák and Pavel Jurácek, adapted from the novel The Magellanic Cloud by Stanislaus Lem.
Produced by Filmové Studio Barrandov
Directed by Jindrich Polák
The trailer for the new restoration of Ikarie Xb 1 (no hyphen) pretty much tells the story. A shot...
- 7/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
11th Gasparilla International Film Festival to Screen 35 Features Including J.K. Simmons’ ‘All Nighter’“All Nighter”
The 11th edition of Tampa’s most prominent film event, Suncoast Credit Union’s Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff), will take place March 2-March 9, 2017 at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor. Gavin Wiesen’s “All Nighter,” starring Academy Award-winner J. K. Simmons will have its World Premiere as part of the festival.
A total of 35 films and over 70 shorts will screen over eight days and will include international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films from around the world. In addition to the film program, Giff will also feature master classes and panel discussions.
The title sponsor, Suncoast Credit Union, has been committed to the festival for three consecutive years with the goal of bringing quality entertainment and enrichment to the community. The Suncoast Credit Union also sponsors the Family Fun...
The 11th edition of Tampa’s most prominent film event, Suncoast Credit Union’s Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff), will take place March 2-March 9, 2017 at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor. Gavin Wiesen’s “All Nighter,” starring Academy Award-winner J. K. Simmons will have its World Premiere as part of the festival.
A total of 35 films and over 70 shorts will screen over eight days and will include international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films from around the world. In addition to the film program, Giff will also feature master classes and panel discussions.
The title sponsor, Suncoast Credit Union, has been committed to the festival for three consecutive years with the goal of bringing quality entertainment and enrichment to the community. The Suncoast Credit Union also sponsors the Family Fun...
- 3/1/2017
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Suncoast Credit Union Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff) announced its official selection for the annual event held at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor in Tampa, Florida, from March 2-March 9.
The festival will host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen.
There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.
Here are the highlighted line up of the films:
Opening Night Film:
Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts
Closing Night Film:
Unleashed: When...
The festival will host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen.
There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.
Here are the highlighted line up of the films:
Opening Night Film:
Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts
Closing Night Film:
Unleashed: When...
- 2/22/2017
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
A lengthy talk-fest interview of the underrated filmmaker, who takes us through his life story as a personal journey, not a string of movie assignments. Sidney Lumet seems to attract a lot of criticism, and so did this docu for not challenging his opinions or rubbing his nose in his less admirable movie efforts. The docu is just Lumet’s thoughts, and the words of a man of integrity are always inspiring.
By Sidney Lumet
Blu-ray
FilmRise
2015 / Color /1:78 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date January 9, 2017 / 24.95
Starring Sidney Lumet
Cinematography Tom Hurwitz
Film Editor Anthony Ripoli
Produced by Scott Berrie, Nancy Buirski, Chris Donnelly, Joshua A. Green, Thane Rosenbaum, Robin Yigit Smith
Directed by Nancy Buirski
This ought to be a good year for documentary filmmaker Nancy Buirski. I first caught up with her excellent feature docu Afternoon of a Faun, about the ill-fated ballerina Tanaquil Le Clerc, and she’s had other successes as well.
By Sidney Lumet
Blu-ray
FilmRise
2015 / Color /1:78 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date January 9, 2017 / 24.95
Starring Sidney Lumet
Cinematography Tom Hurwitz
Film Editor Anthony Ripoli
Produced by Scott Berrie, Nancy Buirski, Chris Donnelly, Joshua A. Green, Thane Rosenbaum, Robin Yigit Smith
Directed by Nancy Buirski
This ought to be a good year for documentary filmmaker Nancy Buirski. I first caught up with her excellent feature docu Afternoon of a Faun, about the ill-fated ballerina Tanaquil Le Clerc, and she’s had other successes as well.
- 2/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
What happens when a prosecutor tracks down one of the most evil criminals of the century, only to find that politics and corruption prevent him from issuing an arrest warrant? This is the true story of the hunt for the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann — not from the Pov of the Israeli agents that pounced on him in Argentina, but a German prosecutor hemmed in on all sides by Nazi sympathizers in his own government bureaucracy.
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
Blu-ray
Cohen Media Group
2015 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer / Street Date January 10, 2017 / 30.99
Starring Burghardt Klaußner, Ronald Zehrfeld, Michael Schenck, Cornelia Goöscher, Lilith Stangenberg.
Cinematography Jens Harant
Film Editor Barbara Gies
Original Music Christopher M. Kaiser, Julian Maas
Written by Lars Kraume, Olivier Guez
Produced by Thomas Kufus
Directed by Lars Kraume
As a movie reviewer I’m attracted to certain subjects. I’ve written up...
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
Blu-ray
Cohen Media Group
2015 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer / Street Date January 10, 2017 / 30.99
Starring Burghardt Klaußner, Ronald Zehrfeld, Michael Schenck, Cornelia Goöscher, Lilith Stangenberg.
Cinematography Jens Harant
Film Editor Barbara Gies
Original Music Christopher M. Kaiser, Julian Maas
Written by Lars Kraume, Olivier Guez
Produced by Thomas Kufus
Directed by Lars Kraume
As a movie reviewer I’m attracted to certain subjects. I’ve written up...
- 1/3/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When making Oscar predictions, I’ve learned to never underestimate the Holocaust movie. When in doubt with those pesky documentary short subjects, pick the one about the Holocaust. It sounds crass, and it’s an eye-rolling industry truism, but if you chose “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” in 2014, you were right. Out of seven nominated Holocaust feature documentaries, six won the Oscar.
The Holocaust is a heart-rending and complicated subject. There have been many other genocides in history, of course; Oscar-winner “The Killing Fields” addressed Cambodia, and other films have examined Armenia, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Bosnia. Still, that’s nothing compared to the hundreds of movies that have addressed how Adolf Hitler and his Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews during World War II.
This year is no exception. Well-intentioned court procedural “Denial” (Bleecker Street), starring Rachel Weisz as an American academic on trial in Britain for defaming...
The Holocaust is a heart-rending and complicated subject. There have been many other genocides in history, of course; Oscar-winner “The Killing Fields” addressed Cambodia, and other films have examined Armenia, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Bosnia. Still, that’s nothing compared to the hundreds of movies that have addressed how Adolf Hitler and his Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews during World War II.
This year is no exception. Well-intentioned court procedural “Denial” (Bleecker Street), starring Rachel Weisz as an American academic on trial in Britain for defaming...
- 9/30/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
When making Oscar predictions, I’ve learned to never underestimate the Holocaust movie. When in doubt with those pesky documentary short subjects, pick the one about the Holocaust. It sounds crass, and it’s an eye-rolling industry truism, but if you chose “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” in 2014, you were right. Out of seven nominated Holocaust feature documentaries, six won the Oscar.
The Holocaust is a heart-rending and complicated subject. There have been many other genocides in history, of course; Oscar-winner “The Killing Fields” addressed Cambodia, and other films have examined Armenia, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Bosnia. Still, that’s nothing compared to the hundreds of movies that have addressed how Adolf Hitler and his Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews during World War II.
This year is no exception. Well-intentioned court procedural “Denial” (Bleecker Street), starring Rachel Weisz as an American academic on trial in Britain for defaming...
The Holocaust is a heart-rending and complicated subject. There have been many other genocides in history, of course; Oscar-winner “The Killing Fields” addressed Cambodia, and other films have examined Armenia, Rwanda, Indonesia, and Bosnia. Still, that’s nothing compared to the hundreds of movies that have addressed how Adolf Hitler and his Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews during World War II.
This year is no exception. Well-intentioned court procedural “Denial” (Bleecker Street), starring Rachel Weisz as an American academic on trial in Britain for defaming...
- 9/30/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There’s often a genuine dramatic pull to films in the courtroom drama genre, yet they’ve suffered the last few decades because of the conventional tropes that can come with it. How do you reinvent such a genre to become less predictable and less by-the-books? While Denial doesn’t do anything new on a technical side, it is fully aware of its gripping plot, one that welcomely avoids pushing its inherent clichés to the forefront of its story.
The true story centers around the legal battle David Irving (Timothy Spall) and Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) questioning the historical validity of the holocaust. Yes, the story might sound oddly over-the-top, but it did happen. Irving, a man who considers himself a historian, believed the holocaust was a complete hoax. So much so that he decided to bring Lipstadt to court over her book Denying the Holocaust, which he deemed insulting and filled with lies.
The true story centers around the legal battle David Irving (Timothy Spall) and Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) questioning the historical validity of the holocaust. Yes, the story might sound oddly over-the-top, but it did happen. Irving, a man who considers himself a historian, believed the holocaust was a complete hoax. So much so that he decided to bring Lipstadt to court over her book Denying the Holocaust, which he deemed insulting and filled with lies.
- 9/19/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
This article was produced as part of the Locarno Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring journalists at the Locarno Film Festival, a collaboration between the Locarno Film Festival, IndieWire and the Film Society of Lincoln Center with the support of Film Comment and the Swiss Alliance of Film Journalists. The following interview, conducted by a member of the Critics Academy, focuses on a participant in the affiliated Filmmakers Academy program at the festival.
In “Doce Lar,” the muted debut short from Nuno Baltazar, a weathered man lives alone in a crumbling prison, afraid of all that lies outside and depending only on himself to survive. The Lisbon-born Baltazar is similarly self-sufficient: in addition to writing and directing “Doce Lar,” Baltazar edited and produced the film. The decision to be a total filmmaker has it’s roots in deciding to start making movies after several years working as graphic designer.
Read...
In “Doce Lar,” the muted debut short from Nuno Baltazar, a weathered man lives alone in a crumbling prison, afraid of all that lies outside and depending only on himself to survive. The Lisbon-born Baltazar is similarly self-sufficient: in addition to writing and directing “Doce Lar,” Baltazar edited and produced the film. The decision to be a total filmmaker has it’s roots in deciding to start making movies after several years working as graphic designer.
Read...
- 8/12/2016
- by Andrew Rogers
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: This article is presented in partnership with Bleecker Street’s release of “Anthropoid,” directed by Sean Ellis and starring Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy. “Anthropoid” is now playing in theaters.
This week, “Anthropoid” looks to join the ranks of a rich and complex cinematic history: films about World War II. A global conflict that has yielded global stories, World War II continues to be the basis for films that challenge our perceptions. “Anthropoid” uncovers an episode from before the fighting stopped, focusing on the attempt to assassinate high-ranking SS General Reinhard Heydrich. Writer/Director Sean Ellis uses the true-life mission as a backdrop for a talented ensemble, including Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones.
The best of these modern WWII films never lose sight of the idea that this was a conflict fought by individuals. Their weapons and their ideologies were varied, but this was history...
This week, “Anthropoid” looks to join the ranks of a rich and complex cinematic history: films about World War II. A global conflict that has yielded global stories, World War II continues to be the basis for films that challenge our perceptions. “Anthropoid” uncovers an episode from before the fighting stopped, focusing on the attempt to assassinate high-ranking SS General Reinhard Heydrich. Writer/Director Sean Ellis uses the true-life mission as a backdrop for a talented ensemble, including Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones.
The best of these modern WWII films never lose sight of the idea that this was a conflict fought by individuals. Their weapons and their ideologies were varied, but this was history...
- 8/12/2016
- by Steve Greene, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Graham Winfrey, Kate Erbland, Zack Sharf and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
This article was produced as part of the Locarno Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring journalists at the Locarno Film Festival, a collaboration between the Locarno Film Festival, IndieWire and the Film Society of Lincoln Center with the support of Film Comment and the Swiss Alliance of Film Journalists. The following interview, conducted by a member of the Critics Academy, focuses on a participant in the affiliated Filmmakers Academy program at the festival.
“Because it’s Israel, everything you make is automatically political,” said the 29-year-old writer-director Assaf Machnes. “Even a cat drinking milk is a political film in Israel.”
Read More: Here’s What One Young Filmmaker Learned From Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang
Capturing how it feels to come of age as an Israeli today, Machnes’ subversive cinema uses deeply personal experiences— military service and touring the WW2 death camps at the age of 17 — as material for crafting absurd humor,...
“Because it’s Israel, everything you make is automatically political,” said the 29-year-old writer-director Assaf Machnes. “Even a cat drinking milk is a political film in Israel.”
Read More: Here’s What One Young Filmmaker Learned From Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang
Capturing how it feels to come of age as an Israeli today, Machnes’ subversive cinema uses deeply personal experiences— military service and touring the WW2 death camps at the age of 17 — as material for crafting absurd humor,...
- 8/11/2016
- by Annabel Brady-Brown
- Indiewire
Many of the world's most famous and solemn memorial sites are facing a surge of visitors who can't seem to look away from their smartphones - because they're catching Pokémon. Following the release of the wildly popular app Pokémon Go, places like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and former concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland have had to ask visitors to refrain from playing the game while on-site. "Allowing such games to be active on the site of Auschwitz Memorial is disrespectful to the memory of the victims of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp on many levels," Pawel Sawicki,...
- 7/12/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble, @lekimble
- PEOPLE.com
★★★★★ It's hard to find the words to adequately describe the breathtaking magnitude and harrowing brilliance of Son of Saul. More than seventy years have passed since the liberation of the death camps but in that time cinema has struggled to ascertain how the worst atrocities of the Holocaust be portrayed on the big screen. The works of Spielberg and Lanzmann are now joined by one of the most impressive debut features of all time. Hungarian director László Nemes comes as close as is humanly imaginable to conveying the brutal inhumanity of the darkest chapter in modern history from within the walls of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a claustrophobic masterpiece of gut-wrenching bravura filmmaking.
- 7/5/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
“I want to be in the Army.” That statement prompted a frantic phone call from my ex-wife, and an entire series of conversations. It also inspired a very particular screening of a very particular film, one in a series of recent screenings that have spoken to Toshi’s developing interests in both history and Hollywood. While movies are very important to Toshi, they are less important than Allen, and I suspect there will come a time where I lose Allen to other interests. That’s fine with me. Whatever he’s interested in and excited by, I’ll encourage him. Right now, his interests are more in games and puzzles and building things. Minecraft is pretty much the perfect intersection of all of Allen’s energies. As a result, when I am picking things that we’re all going to watch together, I find myself going mainstream and populist and easy.
- 4/26/2016
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
"This land is mine, God made this land for me." Those are just song lyrics, while Otto Preminger's politically daring 70mm mega-production is a lot more subtle in its presentation of the 'Palestinian problem' that led to the formation of the State of Israel. It's a bit ponderous, but Dalton Trumbo's screenplay avoids the pitfalls -- 56 years later, the story is still relevant. Exodus Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1960 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 208 min. / Ship Date March 15, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb, Sal Mineo, John Derek, David Opatoshu, Jill Haworth, Hugh Griffith, Gregory Ratoff, Felix Aylmer, Marius Goring, Alexandra Stewart, Martin Benson, Paul Stevens, George Maharis, John Crawford, Victor Maddern, Paul Stassino, John Van Eyssen Cinematography Sam Leavitt Art Direction Richard Day Film Editor Louis R. Loeffler Original Music Ernest Gold Written by Dalton Trumbo from...
- 4/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Géza Röhrig: "This is kind of when my childhood was over." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
László Nemes' trenchant Son Of Saul (Saul Fia), co-written with Clara Royer, cinematography by Mátyás Erdély, sound design Tamás Zányi and an unforgettably unsettling performance by Géza Röhrig as Saul Ausländer, clothed by Edit Szücs, today received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang, Naji Abu Nowar's Theeb, Ciro Guerra's Embrace Of The Serpent and Tobias Lindholm's A War were also honoured.
Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the New York Film Festival Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Slavoj Žižek, Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List impacting Stanley Kubrick's The Aryan Papers, what Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds has in common with The Sound Of Music, the profound impact of a visit to Auschwitz at age 17, the fragility of civilisation,...
László Nemes' trenchant Son Of Saul (Saul Fia), co-written with Clara Royer, cinematography by Mátyás Erdély, sound design Tamás Zányi and an unforgettably unsettling performance by Géza Röhrig as Saul Ausländer, clothed by Edit Szücs, today received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang, Naji Abu Nowar's Theeb, Ciro Guerra's Embrace Of The Serpent and Tobias Lindholm's A War were also honoured.
Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the New York Film Festival Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Slavoj Žižek, Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List impacting Stanley Kubrick's The Aryan Papers, what Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds has in common with The Sound Of Music, the profound impact of a visit to Auschwitz at age 17, the fragility of civilisation,...
- 1/14/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Nina Hoss in 'Phoenix': 'Village Voice' Critics' Best Actress runner-up. 'Village Voice' Best of 2015: Offbeat picks include Géza Röhrig, runner-up Nina Hoss The Best of 2015 choices of the Village Voice film critics will not influence the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, or the SAG Awards. No matter. If you're interested in movies to watch or performances to check out, then you should pay close attention to those smaller critics' lists. More so, in fact, than the lists of academies, guilds, and press/critics associations with televised awards shows – or even critics groups worried about their “Oscar relevance.” In their case, buzz easily (and usually) trumps quality. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' tops The top three slots of the Village Voice critics went to expected, English-language fare: George Miller's female-centered actioner Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. Todd Haynes' female-centered romantic drama Carol,...
- 12/16/2015
- by Mont. Steve
- Alt Film Guide
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
With last week’s announcements of the nominees for both the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, a number of high-profile performances did not make it on the list. But fear not, snubbed actors, as you may still have a shot at Oscar come February.
Here’s a look at those actors who weren’t recognized by SAG and the Globes but are still in the hunt:
Michael Caine, 82, plays a retired orchestra conductor on vacation with his director best friend (Harvey Keitel) in the Swiss Alps in Youth. The film earned a best supporting actress nomination for co-star Jane Fonda, but Caine himself has not been honored with any nods for his performance. Caine would look for a best actor nomination.
Tom Courtenay, 78, plays a husband who, on the night of his 45th wedding anniversary, receives an unexpected letter that could change his life in the drama 45 Years.
Managing Editor
With last week’s announcements of the nominees for both the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, a number of high-profile performances did not make it on the list. But fear not, snubbed actors, as you may still have a shot at Oscar come February.
Here’s a look at those actors who weren’t recognized by SAG and the Globes but are still in the hunt:
Michael Caine, 82, plays a retired orchestra conductor on vacation with his director best friend (Harvey Keitel) in the Swiss Alps in Youth. The film earned a best supporting actress nomination for co-star Jane Fonda, but Caine himself has not been honored with any nods for his performance. Caine would look for a best actor nomination.
Tom Courtenay, 78, plays a husband who, on the night of his 45th wedding anniversary, receives an unexpected letter that could change his life in the drama 45 Years.
- 12/15/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Nicholas Hoult is an obnoxious A&R man in this witless adaptation of John Niven’s novel
With its Bret Easton Ellis-lite misanthropy and knowing pre-X Factor “let the audience decide” jokes, this 90s-set music industry romp should probably have been entitled English Syco: the Britpop Years. Nicholas Hoult is obnoxiously talentless A&R man Steven Stelfox (think Patrick Bateman minus the killer charm) in screenwriter John Niven’s adaptation of his own 2008 novel, itself inspired by his stint as a talent scout who turned down Coldplay and Muse. Hoult is a sharp performer but understandably struggles to find dark humour in cringe-worthy shock jock lines such as: “This music is the biggest insult to humanity since a roomful of Nazis first cooed over the blueprints for Auschwitz.”
Lacking, too, is the visual wit that made Mary Harron’s American Psycho adaptation so scabrously entertaining, leaving us instead...
With its Bret Easton Ellis-lite misanthropy and knowing pre-X Factor “let the audience decide” jokes, this 90s-set music industry romp should probably have been entitled English Syco: the Britpop Years. Nicholas Hoult is obnoxiously talentless A&R man Steven Stelfox (think Patrick Bateman minus the killer charm) in screenwriter John Niven’s adaptation of his own 2008 novel, itself inspired by his stint as a talent scout who turned down Coldplay and Muse. Hoult is a sharp performer but understandably struggles to find dark humour in cringe-worthy shock jock lines such as: “This music is the biggest insult to humanity since a roomful of Nazis first cooed over the blueprints for Auschwitz.”
Lacking, too, is the visual wit that made Mary Harron’s American Psycho adaptation so scabrously entertaining, leaving us instead...
- 11/8/2015
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
From big blockbusters to small independent films, here are the movies I.m dying to see this Fall. (Official synopsis provided by studios)
September 18 (Friday)
About Ray When a young woman (Elle Fanning) decides to transition from female to male, her announcement is met with both opposition and support from her mother (Naomi Watts) and her lesbian grandmother (Susan Sarandon).
Black Mass In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history. -- (C) Warner Bros
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials In this next chapter of the epic "Maze Runner" saga, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien...
September 18 (Friday)
About Ray When a young woman (Elle Fanning) decides to transition from female to male, her announcement is met with both opposition and support from her mother (Naomi Watts) and her lesbian grandmother (Susan Sarandon).
Black Mass In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history. -- (C) Warner Bros
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials In this next chapter of the epic "Maze Runner" saga, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien...
- 9/4/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
One of the key aspects of the Toronto International Film Festival is the City to City Programme, which takes a look at a specific city every year, screening films that focus on the events of that specific city, as well as showcasing the latest projects by filmmakers from the city. The 2015 incarnation of the festival will focus on London, England, with eight films in the Tiff programme this year.
The films that will be part of the lineup have now been announced, alongside an additional set of films that will be part of the Tiff Wavelengths Programme, joining the previously announced entries in the programme. The complete list of films in both programmes, along with their official synopses, can be seen below.
City To City
Couple in a Hole, directed by Tom Geens, making its World Premiere
A middle class British couple end up living like feral creatures in a...
The films that will be part of the lineup have now been announced, alongside an additional set of films that will be part of the Tiff Wavelengths Programme, joining the previously announced entries in the programme. The complete list of films in both programmes, along with their official synopses, can be seen below.
City To City
Couple in a Hole, directed by Tom Geens, making its World Premiere
A middle class British couple end up living like feral creatures in a...
- 8/18/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
After revealing its centerpieces earlier this month, the Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the full slate for the 2015 New York Film Festival and the big news is Steven Spielberg is back. That's right, after debuting “Lincoln” at the fest just three years ago, America’s greatest living filmmaker returns with his latest thriller, “Bridge of Spies." “Spies” finds Tom Hanks portraying James B. Donovan, a lawyer who was recruited to negotiate the release of an U.S. pilot whose U2 spy plane was shot down in the Soviet Union in 1962. If there was any question previously, this certainly puts the Touchstone Pictures release in the awards season conversation. As for the rest of the slate there is only one new world premiere, “Don’t Blink: Robert Frank” (the entire festival only has four at the moment), and lots of movies that originally debuted at Cannes. In fact, 13 of...
- 8/13/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
Copyright Desert Dancer Productions Ltd 2014
Relativity Studios has released a new, behind-the-scenes featurette for their upcoming film Desert Dancer. The movie stars Freida Pinto, Reece Ritchie, Tom Cullen, Nazanin Boniadi and Makram J. Khoury.
Check out the featurette now for an inside look at the cast’s dance rehearsals with acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan.
The video features Benjamin Wallfisch’s original score throughout.
Set in Iran, this powerful and unbelievable true story follows the brave ambition of Afshin Ghaffarian. During the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election, where many cultural freedoms were threatened, Afshin and some friends (including Elaheh played by Freida Pinto) risk their lives and form an underground dance company.
Through banned online videos, they learn from timeless legends who cross all cultural divides, such as Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev. Afshin and Elaheh also learn much from each other, most importantly how to embrace their...
Relativity Studios has released a new, behind-the-scenes featurette for their upcoming film Desert Dancer. The movie stars Freida Pinto, Reece Ritchie, Tom Cullen, Nazanin Boniadi and Makram J. Khoury.
Check out the featurette now for an inside look at the cast’s dance rehearsals with acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan.
The video features Benjamin Wallfisch’s original score throughout.
Set in Iran, this powerful and unbelievable true story follows the brave ambition of Afshin Ghaffarian. During the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election, where many cultural freedoms were threatened, Afshin and some friends (including Elaheh played by Freida Pinto) risk their lives and form an underground dance company.
Through banned online videos, they learn from timeless legends who cross all cultural divides, such as Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev. Afshin and Elaheh also learn much from each other, most importantly how to embrace their...
- 3/11/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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